In both cases, we figured that New Yorkers like to talk, like to drink, like to learn and like to dance. To that end, we created the Best of Brooklyn Booze Bounce that includes history, hip-shaking, and hitting the bottle! We start our Best of Brooklyn Booze Bounce on the corner of Grand and Bushwick Avenues, by the historical Grand Street High School, since broken up into a bunch of smaller charter schools. Learn the history of East Williamsburg, nee Bushwick, from German to Italian to Latino to Hipsters and multi-culturalism.

A nautical themed bar for salty dogs. Pic courtesy of The L Magazine

But we shouldn’t keep you waiting – off to our first bar! Listed in NY Mag’s 2011 Best Cocktail list, we’ll attack The Drink (228 Manhattan Avenue) for their massive Rum Punch cocktail. $43 will quench the thirst of 10 imbibers (or seriously do damage to just 5) and will kick the night off right.

Notice a trend here? The Commodore pic courtesy of capitalnewyork.tumblr.com

Following our descent into The Drink we’ll keep strolling our way through this North Brooklyn ‘nabe over to The Commodore (366 Metropolitan Ave) for another NY Mag 2011 anointed beverage – the Sloe Gin Fizz. For a fantastic $7, we can sip and slurp the tasty treat down. If tour tipplers find that all this booze is doing damage, NY Mag also announced that The Commodore’s Grilled Cheese Sandwich (a modern variation on the Southern classic “Pimento Cheese”) hit the list, under the expected category Best Grilled Cheese.

Finally, there’s only one way to shake off the torpor of cocktail and culture – that would be shimmy-shaking itself. We’ll jump the G train (a Brooklyn-Queens fav!) and ride into Crown Heights, for local watering hole Franklin Park’s (618 St. John’s Place) twice-monthly free dance jam, hosted by Little Shalimar, that crashes together hip-hop, crunk, soul, and sweet sticky jams. Best of all, its free – thereby topping NY Mag’s Best No Cover Dance Party list! Spend the rest of your dough at the bar.